S.Process "Three of Us"

S.Process
More Me
CD
(Track Star Records, 2000)

I wrote this review after seeing S.Process open for Pretty Girls Make Graves way back on October 9, 2003: Up first were S. Process from Philadelphia. I thought they were local since they're playing again on Sunday at Neutron Bomb but I guess I was just WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! The singer/guitarist quickly established a nice raport with the audience by informing us that the area in front of the stage was dragon-free and, therefore, safe for us to stand there rather than farther back. Then they had a guy come out and blow fire at another guy on stilts wearing a small child's disturbingly tight Batman costume. Yeah, safe. Sure. Anything you say. Well, anyhow, his guitar was too quiet so I said (after the first number) "Hey, singer guy, turn up your guitar; the other guy [another guitar slinger was present] is drowning you out!" He informed me that his name was Bob and asked for mine and we had several more short but pleasant conversations during their set. Oh, you want to hear about their music? Well, let me put on my dancing shoes. They were very rhythmic and reminded me a bit of early Queens of the Stone Age mixed with early stuff by The Fall but with more "sung" vocals than either of those bands and, beyond that, the singing was sort of like the guy in the Electric Eels if he could sing. The guitars were nice and dissonant but not particularly distorted (hence the similarity to early Fall, sweetie) and the bass was nice and fat with what seemed to be an almost reggae-influence which made for an interesting mix with the guits, sangin' and pounding drums. BTW, the drummer was of the feminine persuasion and I hope I don't sound sexist if I say I dig the heck out of it when a woman plays a "non-standard-for-the-fairer-sex" instrument in a rockin' band. I bought their CD and am seriously considering going to see them again on Sunday, depending on how their set time conflicts with the show I also want to go see at Eyedrum that night. Luckily, the two venues are less than five minutes distant by automohicular device, of which I am possessed one. It's a Saturn. It has a CD player and a moonroof and gets good milage. I like it. The CD I bought that night was their second, MNML; More Me is their first. They also released an eponymous 12" EP (also on Track Star Records), a CD EP, Tastes Like Daughter, and a split 7" with Party of Helicopters. To the best of my knowledge, they are no more, sadly.